Apple · Computing

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026)

Averages 8.9 out of ten across 5 published outlet scores, which span 1.5 points. bitcritiq has not used this product, and this page carries no score of ours.

$1,299 list · checked Sep 3, 2026 · source

What each outlet scored it

OutletScoreOut of ten
PCMag4 / 58
Tom's Hardware4.5 / 59
Tom's Guide4.5 / 59
TechRadar4.75 / 59.5
WIRED9 / 109

Star ratings are doubled to reach a ten-point scale; outlets already scoring out of ten are unchanged. The average above is the mean of this column.

Who it suits

Best all-rounder

The most-reviewed machine here and the default pick at three separate outlets, including the overall top slot at two of them.

Where it falls down. The widest spread on this list — PCMag is a point and a half cooler on it than TechRadar.

Specifications

Chip
Apple M5
CPU
10-core (4 performance + 6 efficiency)
GPU
8-core, hardware ray tracing
Neural Engine
16-core
Memory
16GB unified, to 32GB
Storage
512GB SSD, to 4TB
Display
13.6in Liquid Retina IPS, 2560 × 1664, 224ppi
Brightness
500 nits, P3, True Tone
Battery
Up to 18h video / 15h web, 53.8Wh
Ports
2 × Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), MagSafe 3, 3.5mm
Wireless
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 6, Apple N1
Weight
2.7 lb (1.23 kg)
Upgradeable
No — memory and storage are fixed at purchase

Where this sits against the alternatives

This product is one of the picks on The Best Laptops of 2026, According to the Reviews, which compares it against the others that cleared the same three-outlet bar.